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Dr. Tryan L. McMickens’s scholarship centers on historically marginalized and underserved populations that suffer from inequities, particularly in higher education.
The research is rich and ever-manifesting on college campuses for McMickens, an associate professor of higher education and the director of the M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Administration Program at North Carolina Central University, an historically Black university in Durham, North Carolina.
During an interview with Diverse, McMickens recalls an op-ed column written by a Black student in The Daily Pennsylvanian, the University of Pennsylvania student newspaper. He says the piece detailed racist acts the student experienced after a late walk back to his on-campus residence hall.
“Four white peers questioned the student’s belonging to Penn, requested directions from him about the whereabouts of fried chicken, and referred to him as an n-word,” says McMickens, noting that the column inspired a silent student-organized, anti-racism demonstration comprising some 200 students, faculty members, and administrators.
“While this was fascinating, I cannot help but to think about how Penn students of color are prepared to respond to racism,” he says.
McMickens ponders a potential-but-unfortunate outcome may be conferred to undergraduate students who attend historically white colleges and universities. They are prepared to respond to racism, he says, but “what about those students who attend and graduate from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)?”
The research question is a primary mode of inquiry for him.
“My research focuses on inequities in higher education among marginalized college students and the impact of college environments on students, faculty, and administrators,” says McMickens. “I conduct research in this area to explore what the complex analyses of empirical data can reveal about racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in higher education.”
McMickens says he believes campus environments contribute to educational disparities but holds promise for efforts to foster success among underserved populations.
“This arm of my research agenda is aimed at understanding how campus cultures, campus climates, and campus actors (e.g., faculty, advisors, peers, ethnic organizations, targeted support programs) impact the outcomes of historically marginalized and underserved student populations,” he says.
Institutional environments can affect college student success and failure. Notwithstanding, there is life after students leave campus.
McMickens examines how historically white colleges and universities help students contend with social ills and systems of oppression — that include racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia — when they graduate.
“I pay particular attention to the role that historically Black colleges and universities play in socializing and preparing their students for success after navigating to and through higher education,” he says. “I focus on one of the most pressing and salient educational issues — college student mental health, particularly among Black men. Rates and incidents are higher among racially minoritized students; having an in-depth understanding of what college students face now and the support they receive will have an impact on their abilities to live full lives as adults and be productive citizens.”
McMickens credits his parents — Linda Gregory McMickens and the late Bobby Louis McMickens — with teaching him about hard work, integrity, respect for others, and spirituality. Others in his native Pearidge community of Canton, Georgia, mentored, encouraged, and bestowed in him a tenacity that guided him through college and global, cross-cultural experiences into his career as a professor.
McMickens completed his bachelor’s degrees in sales and marketing and business administration from Tuskegee University. He also holds a master’s degree in administration of higher education from Suffolk University and an educational doctorate in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania.
His work in the academy includes various stints in project management, student affairs, development, and fundraising roles at Harvard Medical School, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Tuskegee University, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Prior to his arrival at North Carolina Central, McMickens served on the faculty at Suffolk University as an associate professor of higher education, the director of the Administration of Higher Education Program, and the director of the Disability Services in Higher Education Certificate Program. He also served as an assistant director of the National Black Male College Achievement Study, an assistant director of the Grad Prep Academy, and a doctoral research assistant to Dr. Shaun R. Harper in the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education back when Harper was on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn).
Harper, who encouraged McMickens to pursue the professoriate, also served as his dissertation chair at Penn.
“Tryan was one of my very best doctoral advisees during my decade on the Penn faculty,” says Harper, now a professor at the University of Southern California. “He and I both being alumni of HBCUs, made our advisee-advisor bond extra special. I am, therefore, especially proud that he is now a tenured professor at an HBCU.”
McMickens teaches courses that focus on student development theory and practice, research in higher education, critical issues in higher education, and diversity issues in higher education.
“I approach my work from a teacher-scholar-mentor mentality, which means I integrate my scholarly endeavors across my teaching and mentoring activities,” says McMickens. “I am passionate about teaching, learning, and exploring ways that education can positively influence one’s life.”
He adds: “My primary goal is to continue exploring the racial and social justice issues that affect higher education and share those findings with my students as well as outside groups. I hope my work can shed light on disparities that still exist while offering solutions to help foster more inclusive learning environments. I hope that my work on college mental health and racism readiness can save at least one person’s life and, perhaps, millions more.”